The Witcher 3: How to defeat werewolves and stop their health regen ability

Werewolves in The Witcher 3 are one of the most dangerous enemies you'll come across in Geralt's adventure. Not only are they incredibly fast and powerful, but they can also regenerate health at a staggering rate.

Werewolves are one of the first enemies you'll encounter in The Witcher 3 that'll likely require you to make some real preparation in advance. Geralt's career as a specialized monster hunter means that you'll be able to find and create numerous items and tricks to help you deal with such dangerous foes, aside from just attacking them with your sword.

We'll show you how to stop werewolves' health regen and how to bring them down for good in this The Witcher 3 guide.

How to beat werewolves in The Witcher 3

There are a few things consider when it comes to fighting it out with werewolves in The Witcher 3. We've delved into and explained these below.

How to stop werewolves regenerating health in The Witcher 3

When a werewolf stops fighting you and gives off a prolonged howl while throwing its head back in The Witcher 3, it's starting to regenerate health. Werewolves are capable of doing this at a frightening rate, restoring their whole health bar in a matter of moments and undoing all your attempts to kill them. For those who are unprepared, fighting these monsters can feel futile as they revert back to full health in an instant.

Fortunately there are ways around this, and the main one is Moon Dust, a bomb that can be found and crafted that stops anything it hits from activating certain abilities - including health regeneration!

How to get Moon Dust Bombs in The Witcher 3

Moon Dust requires a set of ingredients and a formula for putting it together in The Witcher 3. The formula can be purchased in several places, but the easiest is to buy it at the Herbalist's Hut, found a little way to the northeast of Oxenfurt for 248 crowns.

The two ingredients you need for a basic version of the Moon Dust are two bottles of quicksilver solution and a single dose of saltpeter.

Quicksilver solutions are a little tricky to find. It's occasionally sold by traders at random, but can be reliably bought from the Pellar in the forests at the northwest of Blackbough.

Saltpeter is easier to get, as most alchemists sell it. You can also obtain it as part of the Devil by the Well quest, found at the White Orchard notice board.

Regardless of however you get both ingredients, go into the alchemy menu once you're ready, and select the Moon Dust formula to craft two bombs. These recharge when you meditate, assuming you have strong alcohol on hand.

You can assign these to your item slot through your inventory. From that point on, when you see a werewolf preparing to howl and heal, throw a Moon Dust bomb at it and it'll temporarily be stopped from regaining health.

Easiest way to kill werewolves in The Witcher 3

Aside from Moon Dust, there are numerous tactics you can use to bring down these monsters in The Witcher 3, both in how you fight and what you should use.

• Stay mobile: Being fast is vital against enemies like werewolves, who make wide swings for massive damage. Learn to roll rather than block, and don't bother with heavy attacks when lighter ones will do.
• Use Yrden and Axii for a moment of respite: The bestiary says that werewolves are weak to Igni fire magic, but it's really not in a major way until later in the game after you've levelled it up. Instead, we recommend using Yrden (the slowing spell) and Axii (the hypnotizing spell) if the ridiculous speed and agility of these brutes is getting too much for you, or if you need a moment to just heal yourself.
• Put Cursed Oil on your sword: It's unlikely you'll have this yet, but if you do, it can give you an edge. Apply it to your sword in the inventory page to do an extra 10% damage to your attacks, or even more if you've upgraded it.
• Throw a Devil's Puffball: These poison bombs aren't quite as helpful as Moon Dust, but they are good at wearing down a werewolf's health over time.

One of the first werewolves you'll likely find is in the Wild at Heart quest, which you can find explained in detail in our guide here.

Whether you're just starting The Witcher 3 for the first time or need a refresh after a long time out of the saddle, check out our Witcher 3 walkthrough for all the essential info, including how to get the best ending and which quests you should actually do in the wide, open world.